You wanna know something funny? As I sat here, fiddling with my feed trying to figure out how to give my subscribers a link to my new ebook, I watched the season premiere of Once Upon a Time. Don’t tell Emma, Mary Margaret and Charming that I’m giving up on fairy tales, okay?
But I am. At least the fairy tales as they pertain to my life and how I live it.
It’s one thing to sing, “Be Our Guest” in the shower and stock up on mermaid decorations for a certain little girl’s birthday party. It’s another to expect your husband to slay dragons and your castle to magically stay clean even after Cinderella vacates the premises.
This month I’m dedicated to attacking those fairy tales that I’ve been holding onto – the ways I’ve been comparing my real life to my dream life, the ways I’ve been expecting other people, other places, other situations to meet all my fairy tale fantasies, the ways I’ve been disappointed by reality because it just doesn’t live up to the imaginary.
Maybe you’ve done those things, too? If so, then this series is for you. Let’s tackle these fairy tales together. I’m confident that when we stare reality in the eye, hold it up to the Light and let go of a few childish dreams, we’ll be surprised and relieved to see that this life…this REAL LIFE…is better than we ever could have imagined, better than any fairy tale could have written, better than we ever dreamed.
Throughout October we’ll look at the fairy tales we’ve written and believed about money, careers, homes, family, marriage, parenting, friendship, hobbies, health and more. Some days I’ll share a quote, a printable or resources to help us give up on fairy tales. Other days (of course), I’ll write about my own experiences and reflections.
And as promised, on Wednesdays I’ll share a writing prompt and a link-up with you. Because this isn’t just about me and my crazy self. I want to hear about your fairy tales and your real life, too! Here’s the plan:
- Wednesday, October 2 – How does your real life compare to what you imagined as a child?
- Wednesday, October 9 – Do you live in your dream home (or city)? How do you feel about that?
- Wednesday, October 16 – Are you the wife or mother you always planned to be?
- Wednesday, October 23 – When you graduated from high school, what did you think you’d be doing now?
- Wednesday, October 30 – How has your faith journey differed from what you expected when you first believed?
To keep up with this series, subscribe to this blog. Subscribe via email, and you’ll get every new post sent right to your inbox each morning. And – bonus! – you’ll also receive a copy of my new ebook, Finding a Happier Ever After. I’ll also put a link to each post in this series in the original announcement post from yesterday.
I’m so looking forward to getting to know you better over the next 31 days. Let’s start with a fun question: What’s your favorite fairy tale story or movie?
{Mine is Beauty & the Beast, if we’re talking about Disney movies. How could I resist the brunette princess who loves to read??}
Photo by manoftaste.de
I just sat here for 20 minutes trying to think about my favorite fairy tale. I’m with you on Beauty & the Beast, so we’ll just go with that. And now I’m going to go find more coffee so my brain will work ;)
Well, you know – more coffee or more watching the Disney movies with your kiddo. Whatever does the trick. ;)
I love your topic! Can’t wait to read more … I do think those expectations have hurt me so much and am striving to live in reality. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks, Missy – me, too (on both counts!).
Oh my…that’s a tough one. I love pretty much ALL of the Disney fairytale movies, but I think my all time favorite fairytale in book or movie form is The Red Shoes by Hans Christian Andersen
Hmmm. I don’t know if I know The Red Shoes. Off to look it up now…
Most of my fairy tales revolve around holidays. I want all the perfection that I see or read about. And it never happens. My favorite fairy tale is Cinderella!
I have holiday fairy tales, too, Paula. I don’t know if we’ll touch on that particular topic this month, but as it’s near to my heart, we will definitely talk about it before the holidays get here this year!!
I absolutely LOVE this idea and the Wednesday writing prompts! So very relevant. Am so looking forward to “tuning in” for this series! As far as my favorite fairy tale goes – that’s a no-brainer: “The Princess Bride.” A princess, a castle, an evil prince, a masked hero, a giant and shrieking eels – that story has everything!
Oh YES, that IS the perfect fairy tale!!
I’m like Crystal, I had to think about it… it’s been a while since I was a young girl, and I had boys, they didn’t get into the classic fairy tales, except briefly as toddlers. Their children have a much larger selection to draw from… anyway… I have decided it is a tie…Snow White & Cinderella.
Prince Charming was a fantasy that I grew up with, I really thought that I would find ” Mr. Perfect” get married and live “Happily Ever-After” … but it didn’t happen like that – AT ALL!
I used to lament over the fact that my first husband and I couldn’t get our act together and I felt like our boys suffered because of it.
Alas, they are in their 30’s now, so I don’t sweat it much anymore, but you know sometimes old dreams die hard. ;)
We definitely can’t go back and undo the damage our fairy tales have done, but like someone else told me today, we can certainly create a new ending for ourselves now!
I love this idea, Mary! And I know you’re going to do a great job with it. Love the link-up ideas, too. I’ll be following along.
I don’t think I had a favorite fairy tale when I was a kid, but my favorite now is Beauty and the Beast. I love that tough, smart, feisty Belle!
You nailed it, Shelly – Belle is my favorite not just for her love of books but because she’s a strong woman. Maybe this should be its own post…!
I absolutely love this! I am a Beauty & the Beast girl too – it’s all about the books :)
Thanks, Amanda. And yes, Belle is beautiful AND brainy – the best combination!
I’m really looking forward to this series, Mary, what a fantastic idea!
I think my favourite princess when I was younger was probably Snow White but I’m with you on Belle now – she’s the best. :)
I never quite understood Snow White’s desire to clean up after seven little men. But reading books? THAT I can get behind! :)
Think I’m going to love this series! My favorite is The Little Mermaid…. impossible dreams coming true, (and I love Sebastian the crab) but I’m a Disney movie nut all the way. Watched them at the theater when I was little, then on video with my 3 girls, and more recently with my grandkids.
Little Mermaid is my daughter’s current favorite, too – so we sing “Part of Your World” a LOT around here! :)
Well, my favorite Disney Princess isn’t technically a princess. It’s Pocahontas. She’s my homegirl, and I totally wanted to be just like her when I grew up. In fact, I called every tall blond man John Smith and followed him around, which I’m sure was endearing.
Also, I totally already blogged about my dreams as a child and what reality looks like! I titled the post “This is not the game of life I grew up with”, and it talks mostly about how my “ring by spring” fairy tale has slowly fizzled away. I’d be very flattered if any of y’all took a peak at it :) Here’s el linko to the post : http://thenursejessica.wordpress.com/2013/09/09/this-is-not-the-game-of-life-i-grew-up-with/
Oh, awesome! I’m going to read it right now. You might link up with us on today’s post, so everyone can read it, too! (That’s over here: http://www.givinguponperfect.com/2013/10/childhood-dreams-link-up-1/)
Favorite fairy tale is, by far, Beauty and the Beast. How can you go wrong with learning to love someone who looks different. Such a beautiful story! I just stumbled upon this blog and challenge, and I am definitely up for it. I have been thinking about this very topic for weeks! This will help put it in the right frame for me! Thank you for doing this!
I don’t feel as though I have lots of clear expectations in the first place, to see whether I’ve lived up to them or not (e.g. I didn’t plan my wedding as a little girl). Which is both good and bad. As far as a movie/fairy tale, though, I like “Enchanted” (for fairy tales), “The Cutting Edge,” “Bridget Jones’s Diary,” “Clueless” … basically, the movies where they don’t even kiss until the end. Which is why I tell myself I should probably expect to wait for a while for my “Prince Charming” (using the term figuratively — obviously I can’t expect perfection from a human! But I mean the right guy for me. Anyway:). Oh, and reading above, I saw someone mentioned “The Princess Bride.” Love that one too!
Well, you know how I feel about The Cutting Edge! :)
Princess Diary…
HAHAHA I LOVE THIS STORY!!!